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culture clash!


mint
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And this time, it really, really wasn't my fault[;-)]

Let me explain:

Haven't been feeling exactly in the pink lately and with medical appointments all of Christmas week, including one on 23rd and one on 26th Dec, I'd decided to pass on all the festivities.  So no acceptance of invitations and none extended.

However, I agreed to look after a friend's cat whilst she went to Paris to visit family.  In the end, the cat was so poorly that she didn't feel she wanted to go away.  Rotten as I felt, I couldn't bear to think that she'd be all on her own for Christmas with a moribund cat.

So, I emailed her, asking whether she would like to come to us "le jour de Noel, le 25".......just to be sure that she'd realise that I meant Christmas Day itself and not for the réveillon or anything else on the 24th.

Christmas Eve arrived, dreadful weather so no going out was possible, especially in my delicate state (hah!).  8.30pm and friend rang asking what time she should come round!  I said, didn't you read my message?  But, OK, come anyway if you feel lonely...........

So, not all misunderstandings between migrants and the indigenous population are due to the ignorance of the migrants[I] 

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Didn't like to explain that we eat our main Christmas meal on the day itself and not start some time in the evening of the 24th and eat far into the night.

Mind you, I find that that is not such a rigid tradition as it used to be as I have come across many of my walking friends who frown on eating a large, greasy meal in the middle of the night.

But we are a bit of an minority group as we are mostly into keeping fit and not over-eating.

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You've been doing it all wrong Mint, if you invite someone for Xmas dinner you must not bring out the first course till at least half an hour after midnight on the 24th, the preceeding hours are to be spent drinking loads, having multiple servings of amuses bouches and smoking.

 

When you bring out the onion soup they will know its time to go.

 

Xmas budget 2017 chez Chancer unchanged from 2016, also 100% more and 100% less.

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How do you know about the onion soup Chancer ?

We went to a wedding once in Brittany that was held outside in the garden at the parents mansion which was basically a huge house on cliff with its own private beach. It was wow. You won't find a place like that on leg it.

Anyway, the onion soup came out about 5 in the morning. Just as it was starting get light.

The desert finished about 4 am.

Hmmm...I am not into this French tradition of eating through the night. In fact, I am not even sure the French like it either. Its like foie Gras, people eat it but actually don't like it. They eat it because its tradition.

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Didn't make the same mistake again for St Sylvestre.  I said come on Monday but, in the end, the weather was so awful with very strong winds, that I re-arranged for Tuesday.

Thanks to you and your advice, id, I do not bake awful mince pies either.  Everybody, French, German, Brits can't seem to get enough of my mince pies and I don't even make my own mince as you probably do.

 

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Alas, I have to stick to the vegetarian, no suet, versions as OH does not eat anything meaty.  But, TBH, I and no one else seem to taste any different.  However many I make, it all gets gobbled up accompanied with much lip-smacking!

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I have another use for mincemeat.  I use it making muffins (American) and the whole kitchen smells Christmassy and my French friends adore muffins because it's about the only "English" cake they know, a bit like the only English pudding they know is le crumble!

Id, are you converted to muffins yet or do you still not like them?

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Ah now you have brought something up mint.

American muffins in general are rather dry affairs and not a patch on old fashioned fairy cakes. I go to a cafe that actually sells half decent ones, and yet, I still find them dry and cut any I buy into thick slices and dip each slice into my hot chocolate or coffee and then they are fine.

And I started making american muffins and my husband likes them, so I make them for him, and I don't eat them.

Love proper english muffins though!

My french friends got to know lots of english stuff, scones, sticky toffee pudding, crumble before it was sold in France, and a variety of stuff I would make for them, including elephant's feet, instead of poncy little choux balls.

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Yes, they do like scones!  I have sometimes made tiny cheese scones for eating with cheese as a change from more bread though I myself like cheese scones with jam!

They call a sponge cake a genoese but I can't think of the word they use for flapjacks at the moment.

Carrot cake is OK as is apple cake though I usually make those for large gatherings so I can hardly go around asking how do you like the cake I brought?

As for muffins, do you use butter or oil?  I have not tried them using butter but with the oil ones, you musn't stir them too much.  I haven't made them for ages so might do a batch soon and see how they turn out.  I think they are best with fresh, juicy fruit:  oranges, apples, cherries from my neighbour's garden, figs, etc  

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I use oil in the muffins, noted that on my recipe, 'quick and easy' which they are, with a big note...... for 'Mr Id'.

He likes them best with ginger and crystallised ginger in them!

When the stuff I made for xmas is all used up from the freezer I shall make some.

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IF I asked in advance my butcher would also give me the graisse de rognon, but it was hard to get.

IF I had brought suet from the UK, then, I would prefer to keep that for dumplings, rather than mincemeat, as I could get away with grated butter in mincemeat and dumplings never taste as good with other than beef suet.

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